Construction of regional food hub will help Guyana become lead exporter – Min. Mustapha

The construction of the Regional Food Hub which is being built along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway will ensure Guyana reaches its goal of becoming the lead exporter of Agricultural produce.

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha said the initiative will further position the country to showcase its current role and capability of managing the overall agriculture sector in the entire Caribbean.

Minister Mustapha made the statement during his end-of-year media conference at the Ministry of Agriculture on Saturday last.

“We want to be the lead exporter in CARICOM. Works on the food hub will continue in 2024 aiding in the food supply chain and production processes such as cold storage and manufacturing processing capability in order to improve market access,” Minister Mustapha explained.

The hub is expected to be constructed at a cost of US $14 million.

Just recently the country recorded $1.8 billion in exportation of non-traditional commodities including fruits, vegetables, and grain crops without the help of a food hub.

As such, with this facility coming on board, monies from exportation are expected to double for the country.

Additionally, the country is not only heading to become to lead exporter but also the centre of agricultural attraction, primarily the food hub or basin for CARICOM. As a result, the food hub will correlate with this exact plan. 

It will significantly contribute to the country’s leadership of reducing CARICOM’s food import bill by 25 per cent by the year 2025.

Guyana has been on a rapid journey of revitalising and bolstering its agriculture sector since the PPP\C Government returned to office in 2020, an action that has been reaping success and has since seen the ministry meeting its goals.

The country now possesses agricultural crops and products in abundance, something that other Caribbean countries are now striving to achieve.